Shekel Heckle: James Ottaway Blows Up
Here was former Dow Jones board member James Ottaway Jr.'s reaction to the news that the Dow Jones board was ready to approve the sale to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.:
It’s a bad thing for Dow Jones and American journalism that the Bancroft Family could not resist Rupert Murdoch’s generous offer.
It’s a sad thing that the 105-year family tradition of protecting Dow Jones independence as a public trust will end.
I hope Rupert Murdoch, and whoever follows him at News Corp., will keep his promises to protect and invest in the unique quality and integrity of the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and all the Dow Jones electronic news services.
And I hope the Bancroft Family, which has been torn apart by Murdoch’s poison pill offer, will enjoy family peace after so many years of patient and caring support for Dow Jones and its people.
At this global information age, it is outrageous that anyone should have to pay an estimated $30 million to outside advisors. It is ironic indeed for the Bancroft family to have to pay 30 shekels of silver to their investment bankers, and 30 shekels of gold to their corporate lawyers, for scaring some of them into betraying their 105-year family loyalty to Dow Jones independence.
"Shekels." Pretty snide. Many of the outside lawyers and advisers are no doubt Jewish. And Ottaway thinks he's a more suitable newspaper proprietor than Murdoch? If this is the kind of tradition Ottaway wanted to preserve, good riddance to him.
I couldn't believe it when I read it. Maybe Ottaway should join up with Mel Gibson and produce a movie..."The Protocols of the Elders of Wall Street: the Great Jewish Conspiracy to take over the media." But Murdoch doesn't sound like a Jewish name. That shouldn't matter to a few now out of the closet bigots.
So who writes for the Observer? Mel Gibson? What next, headlines about tacos and Mexicans, Lexis and Blacks, Gays and glitter?
Goodman writes: "But Murdoch doesn't sound like a Jewish name"
Indeed it does not.
But then again, neither does Richard Russell (market guru), Sumner Redstone (Viacom), Paul Allen (Microsoft), Eric Harris (Columbine Killer), Gene Simmons (KISS), Courtney Love (Hole), Mike Wallace (60 minutes), or Ted Danson (Cheers), does it??